Lifeline
by anyadoll
Summary: Just a continuation of Riley and Gabriel's relationship observation made by Mrs. Vaughn. I could continue this, but for now I'm marking it as complete.


**A/N: **Just a little post finale semi fluff/friendship/angst piece based on Gabriel's mom's reaction to their relationship. I mean, how freakin' cute was that anyway? I'm not sure if Gabriel only has the one brother or if he has more, and I don't know when his brother died, so I'm taking some liberties with that and when he would have met Amelia. Enjoy!

**Lifeline**

XOX

"_There are all kinds of love in this world, but never the same love twice."_

_F. Scott Fitzgerald_

XOX

Riley could have cut the awkward tension between her and Gabriel with a knife since his mother's rather blunt statement about their relationship. Perhaps they needed to find a word to describe themselves in company that meant partner, but not _partner. _The word's particular usage had become muddled over time.

Partner meant business associate.

Partner meant romantic liaison, significant other.

It wasn't that the two meanings were mutually exclusive. It was that people seemed to misconstrue which definition Riley and Gabriel were. Mei Chen, Charlie Griffin, the deceitful Adam Weatherly, Mrs. Vaughn, and even on occasion, Lillian (though she would never admit to it) all seemed to think they somewhat fell into that second camp.

Even Gabriel had misunderstood the representation of the word _partner_ when Jin Cong had mind hacked him. Hell, he'd asked if they were intimate. She'd been inconceivably flustered when he'd asked, but it was said with such innocence and honesty that thinking back, she could see the logic in his question. They were both single, relatively attractive individuals who spent nearly every waking moment together.

But was this observation supposed to be obvious? Was Mrs. Vaughn simply misinformed as to who she really was to Gabriel? She recounted the small time frame they'd had to explain anything while they ran for their lives and dug out bullets, and she realized belatedly she'd never introduced herself as Gabriel's bodyguard or Gabriel's protector. Hell, she hadn't introduced herself as _anything. _The fault in Mrs. Vaughn's misinterpretation was her own.

But really, how many times would she have to say, "It's not like _that_" before everyone started to get the hint?

Gabriel had given up all hope of stopping his mother's onslaught of relationship questions long before dinner had even began. Riley sat back uncomfortably, her cheeks fire engine red, answering what she could despite herself.

Mrs. Vaughn had excused herself to the restroom after dinner, leaving Riley and Gabriel in their awkward silence. Riley spoke first, latching onto the quickest conversational escape. "Please, tell me you have more beer?"

Gabriel smiled at her discomfort, dropping his napkin on the table. "If you think this is bad, just wait until she calls us in six months and wants to know when we're getting married," he remarked, not kidding in the least. Riley only gaped as he made his way to the fridge. "No beer, I'm out, any at your place?"

She nodded. "Think you can get it without getting yourself kidnapped, hit by a car, or falling down the stairs?" she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

He rolled his eyes, smirking before saying, "I think I can manage, _dear_."

"Ha, ha," she mocked, pulling her keys from her pocket and tossing them to him. He caught them easily.

"Back in a few," he called, closing the door behind him.

Riley sighed, gathering the dishes and layering them in the sink, turning the faucet on and waiting for the water to warm.

Maybe they were closer than they should be, given what her job was. Getting attached was never a good idea, and perhaps her declaring them partners to begin with was a vital mistake. They weren't supposed to be partners. Not even friends, if she thought about it. But it was an easy role to slip into and embrace.

_Partner_ was just a word. A label. And not entirely the fundamental problem with their relationship.

The real problem was not that she would die for him, but that he in turn would readily die for _her_.

And it was far too late to correct his White Knight complex.

He'd long ago come to grips with a girl protecting him. She'd proven herself time and again, but she knew he feared her dying for him as much as he feared he was becoming less than human with a microchip in his head.

And what, exactly, did that say about their relationship?

"Plan on giving the dishes a bath?" Mrs. Vaughn's amused voice came from beside her. Riley jumped, startled. The sink was nearly flooded.

"Ugh, no, I just…got distracted," she answered weakly, pushing up her sleeves and pulling the plug at the bottom of the sink. The light in her apartment turned on across the way, and she felt herself breathe a little easier.

"That boy always had that effect on women," she laughed. "Get's it from his father. One look, stop you in your tracks every time."

Riley smiled, grabbing the sponge and going to work on the plates. It was a welcome, mindless task after everything they'd been through the past few days. "Mrs. Vaughn, I'm sorry I didn't make it clear, what Gabriel and I are, earlier. There wasn't a whole lot of time for explanations," she began, clearing her throat. "That chip he has, it's worth billions. I'm a secret service agent; I was hired specifically to protect Gabriel, and that chip inside his head. I'm his bodyguard…not his girlfriend."

Mrs. Vaughn chuckled, eyebrow raised as she took the clean plate from Riley's hands, proceeding to dry. "I may be old, and I may sometimes be an alcoholic, but I'm not senile, dear. Of course I know you two aren't _together_. Sheesh, let an old lady have a little fun, won't you?"

It was Riley's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You knew, the whole time?"

Mrs. Vaughn shrugged, waving her hand dismissively. "I wasn't lying though, I do want to spend some time with you because I was right about him finding someone he cares about. He may not have met you in a conventional way, and you two may not be involved in that way, but does that make it any less real?"

Riley knit her forehead, pausing as she cleaned a water glass. "No, I guess not," she replied, but her eyes narrowed curiously. "But there's more to your reason for wanting to spend time with me."

"You're clever, I like that," she winked conspiratorially. "We don't…talk often. My son and I, as you've ascertained. Especially after his brother died. I wouldn't have any of his _joining the army_ talk after it, and that put us at odds. Then he met Amelia, and that brought us back together, for a little while. Of course once he lost her he disappeared too," Mrs. Vaughn sighed, gaze turning to stare out the window blankly. It's hard, watching your child struggle and not be able to do anything about it. He fell hard and fast for that girl, would have gone to the ends of the earth for her."

Riley bit her tongue as she set another dish down. His mother didn't know he _had_ gone to the ends of the earth for his dead wife. Then again, perhaps she did.

She turned to Riley, grasping her hand firmly in hers. "You're different, I see it in the way he looks at you. Like you're some kind of…lifeline that he's too afraid to hold onto but can't afford to let go of. A love like that happens more slowly, takes longer to build, but it's there."

Riley opened her mouth to protest the assumption. Mrs. Vaughn shot her a look that froze the words on her tongue.

"I know my son, dear. I know the full extent of what he went through, losing Amelia the way he did. It does something to you…breaks you a little every day. Some of us aren't able to put the pieces back together," she eyed her glass of whiskey warily. "But Gabriel's not so broken as he used to be, and you're the only thing in is his world that seems to have changed, that chip aside. You keep my son safe, but you keep your self safe while you're at it. I'm afraid of what he'll become if he loses another woman he loves," Mrs. Vaughn finished, the deep sincerity in her voice forcing Riley to break their gaze.

She swallowed hard, afraid to say anything. The door to Gabriel's apartment opened somewhere beyond them.

"Here I am, one piece, no scars, no new bullet holes, and I didn't even trip on a crack in the sidewalk on my way back," Gabriel exclaimed, the smug grin present on his face as he spun in a circle to validate his claims. Riley shook her head as he set the six-pack of beer on the kitchen table, pulling two out and setting one near Riley. "Riley you didn't have to do the dishes, and mom, stop putting thoughts in her head. I know that's what you've been doing. You've got that look on your face," Gabriel admonished them both. "Don't need a chip to know it either."

"What, I told you I wanted to spend some time with your girl. It's nice to know you've got some prospects with that attitude," Mary Vaughn chastised her son. Riley still wouldn't look at either of the Vaughn's in her company, choosing to remain silent while she washed the dishes, sipping from her beer. "But you can take over drying. I _did_ cook after all."

"There it is," Gabriel smiled, taking the towel from his mother and giving her a one armed hug. "Night mom."

Mrs. Vaughn returned the hug, smiling softly. It had been a long time since what was left of her family had come together like this. She had to give credit to the young woman standing quietly next to her.

Riley was startled when the older woman pulled her in for an embrace. Her response to the gesture was delayed, but she felt the strange rush of emotions flood her and she could hardly stop them.

"Just…think about it," Mary whispered to her, pulling away and leaving the two in peace.

Gabriel knit his forehead, confused by the interaction. Riley's movements had stilled.

"You okay?" he asked curiously, loosely grasping her elbow.

"You know the last time my mom hugged me, it was just after their divorce," she half whispered, trying to gather her bearings. She looked over at Gabriel, a sad smile on her face. "Your mom has her quirks, and her opinions," Riley added dryly. "But she loves you, and she wants is to be a part of your life. That's something…I haven't had in a long time."

She sighed, grabbing another glass from the cooling water.

Gabriel looked away. He tended to forget that Riley's mother didn't speak to her, and instantly regretted his flippant, "Moms, whatcha gonna do?" comment earlier that evening. Not that she'd say anything, and she rarely, if ever, brought up her past. It gave him a small sense of satisfaction that his mother liked her, and that she liked his mother in turn.

"She's not usually that…affectionate. Must be something about you," he tried to lighten the conversation, nudging her shoulder with his as he took the glass from her hand, drying it. "What did you two talk about anyway?"

"Nope, no way. Curiosity killed the cat, don't you know that?" she threw back teasingly.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, his genuine, dimpled smile breaking through. "It's probably good that I'm not a cat then," he replied. "And that you're here to save me if Curiosity does try to kill me."

Riley had to cover her mouth to keep the laughter from bubbling over as she made a face at him. "That was a _terrible_ line, Gabriel! _Really_?"

"Oh, come on, that was hilarious!" he said a bit feebly. "Now I know how Nelson feels." He dipped his fingers in the sink, flicking water droplets at her surprised face. "We can't all be witty _and_ pretty," he chuckled, ducking when she splashed water back at him.

They sized each other up for a moment. Clearly this wasn't going to end well.

He flipped the faucet back on, hand hovering near the back of the consistent stream. "Gabriel, no, don't you even…" she barely finished before he was cupping the water and throwing it by the handful at her as she shrieked, doing her best to splash him back.

Gabriel threw in the—quite literal—towel first, both collapsing to the floor in fits of laughter in front of the sink, the majority of their top halves soaked.

Riley looked over at him, finding him already staring at her. "I think I needed this," she said quietly, having calmed herself down. "This week…I would not like to relive it anytime soon. Between Mei Chen coming back and Weatherly betraying us, and Tetazoo's death, and this Flood of sleeper agents, and you nearly…" she trailed, swallowing roughly. "What's next, you know?"

Gabriel shrugged at the rhetorical question, squeezing just above her knee in a strange reassurance. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it. We got through this."

"Ever the optimist?"

"Well since you're the one who sees danger around every corner, one of us has to hope for…rainbows and unicorns," he observed, laughing at her bewildered expression.

Riley held up her hands in surrender. "Oh my god, you've got to stop. The more you talk the worse it gets," she said good-naturedly.

Gabriel stood slowly, wary of his injury still. He reached his hand out for Riley to grasp, and he pulled her up. "What did you and my mom talk about?"

Riley huffed, crossing her arms. "Not going to give that up are you?" He shook his head. "I'll tell you, _someday_."

"Aw, that's not fair, Riley," he whined, resuming his drying duties while she leaned back against the sink, elbows propping her.

She glanced at her watch, not really seeing the time. "I should head out anyway. You have a mess to clean up, and don't even give me that look because you started it," she said pointedly. "Besides, you and your mother have a lot of catching up to do. You owe her that much after showing up with a bullet hole in your stomach and burning down her kitchen with a hairspray bomb," Riley snickered.

"Fine," he conceded, a little disappointed she was leaving. "You'll be here for breakfast though? Famous Mary Vaughn Pancake, egg, and cheese sandwiches," he offered.

Riley cocked her head to the side, grabbing her jacket off the couch. "What is it with your family and these odd, slightly disgusting sounding recipes?"

Gabriel shrugged, smiling. "Part of our charm, I suppose."

"You keep telling yourself that," Riley mocked, grabbing her keys where Gabriel left them on the table. He walked her to the door, opening it for her. "Despite my better judgment on that menu, I'll be here, bright and early. You know that."

"I know."

"Seeya tomorrow," she said, her smile small but conveying more than she could put in words.

"Thanks," Gabriel started, grabbing her wrist before she could leave, the door closing behind them both in the empty hallway.

"For what?" Riley asked, noting he hadn't released her wrist.

"What you said, earlier. Bout the chip not making me less human. It…means a lot, to have someone not think of me as if I'm just a computer or a toy robot they can pull off the shelf and use at will."

Riley pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't like when he got this way, and it was happening more lately. Recent events hadn't helped. "They only think that way because you let them, Gabriel. They also don't know you like I do. They don't see…_this,_" she said, gesturing to his apartment. "The man who let's his mom stay with him because he blew up her kitchen, or has impromptu water wars to make his partner feel better," she smirked.

Gabriel nodded. "As long as you're on my side, I'd say I don't care what anyone else thinks."

He tugged her wrist, pulling her into his arms. He felt better when she was close, as if she were some immovable, guiding force. And after their week, he craved the closeness as much as she did. Gabriel let the hug last just long enough to be less than professional before pulling back, squeezing her hands with his before dropping them.

"She's right, you know. You are my lifeline."

He'd disappeared behind his door before the reality of his words crashed over her. She reflexively reached into her pocket, pulling out her cell phone, mixed emotions overwhelming her.

He'd heard everything. Of course, she hadn't said anything to confirm or deny Mrs. Vaughn's claims, and his mother had never asked Riley how she felt about Gabriel to begin with.

But Gabriel?

He'd just confirmed how he felt about her.

Riley smiled, pocketing her cell phone, quietly answering his unspoken question.

"You're mine too."


End file.
